Latest news with #activist
New York Times
18 hours ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Brooklyn Activist Charged With Arson in Torching of 10 Police Vehicles
A pro-Palestinian activist who has clashed with police officers at demonstrations has been arrested and charged with arson after federal authorities said he sneaked onto a Brooklyn parking lot last month and set fire to 10 police vehicles. The man, Jakhi McCray, 21, was arrested Monday morning and appeared before Magistrate Judge Vera M. Scanlon in Federal District Court in Brooklyn. He pleaded not guilty and was released on bail worth $300,000. After he was granted bail, Mr. McCray was brought by police officers to Manhattan Criminal Court to be arraigned on state charges related to a protest he had attended, according to Ron Kuby, a lawyer for Mr. McCray. The details of that arrest were unclear to Mr. McCray's lawyers late Monday. Mr. Kuby said he expected his client to spend a night in police custody before returning to his family's home in Maplewood, N.J. 'It sounds like the police are just really angry at him for messing up their cars,' Mr. Kuby said. Mr. McCray, who is also a staunch critic of the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, was backed by his mother and more than two dozen supporters in the courtroom, most of whom donned kaffiyehs, a symbol of Palestinian resistance. Several dozen more gathered in an overflow room. In a two-page statement released before his appearance, Mr. McCray railed against 'the brutality of state repression' and the 'kidnapping of migrants.' He claimed that police officers and media outlets had lied about him, and cited other people who had been arrested in connection with their presence at pro-Palestinian demonstrations. In a news release, Joseph Nocella Jr., the interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said: 'Setting police vehicles ablaze is not a form of protest. It is a federal crime.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Arab News
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Once a beacon of hope, Tunisia's civil society struggles to survive
TUNIS: In May 2024, Tunisian activist Cherifa Riahi was arrested just two months after giving birth, accused of harboring illegal migrants. Over a year later, she is still in prison without charge. Rights groups see Riahi's case as a symbol of accelerating repression of civil society under President Kais Saied, who dissolved parliament in 2021 and began ruling by decree. The crackdown marks a significant turnaround for Tunisia, where civil society groups flourished in the wake of the 2011 uprising that unseated President Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali, inspired other Arab Spring uprisings, and helped shape a democratic transition. • Activists subject to detentions, threats • Groups report asset freezes and raids • President accuses them of serving foreign agendas As head of a refugee support group, Riahi had been helping sub-Saharan asylum seekers and other migrants find housing and access medicine and food. Her family says she did nothing wrong. The forced separation from her daughter and young son has been traumatic. 'The girl doesn't recognize her mother at all,' Riahi's mother Farida, who is now caring for her grandchild, told Reuters at their family home in La Marsa near the capital, Tunis. 'They took her while she was breastfeeding. We didn't even have time to understand what was happening.' Since Saied's power grab, at least a dozen civil society figures like Riahi have been detained on allegations activists denounce as fabricated, according to rights groups and lawyers. At least 10 civil society groups have had their assets frozen and offices raided, they say. The Tunisian General Labour Union, which won the 2015 Nobel peace prize with other civil society groups and could once bring tens of thousands onto the streets, has been sapped by the arrests of junior officials on corruption charges. The Tunisian government's media office did not respond to calls and written questions seeking comment about Riahi's case and those of other activists and civil society groups. Saied, 67, has accused civil society groups of 'serving foreign agendas' and undermining national unity. He has said he will not be a dictator and that freedom and democracy will be preserved, but that he will not allow chaos or interference through foreign funding or organizations that represent a 'tool of treason.' Activists warn that some of Tunisia's last surviving democratic gains are at risk as the judiciary, media and parliament have all come under tighter executive control and most opposition party leaders are in prison. 'The attack on civil society organizations is not an isolated incident,' said Romdhane Ben Amor of the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights, an independent advocacy group. 'It comes within the context of the authorities' plan to close civic space and to end the democratic openness achieved by Tunisians after January 14, 2011.' 'SEEN AS ENEMIES' In Tunis, the offices of I Watch, an anti-corruption watchdog founded after the 2011 revolution, used to bustle with dozens of employees, volunteers and journalists. These days, only three employees work on-site. Dozens work remotely, some fearing raids or arrests. Wajdi Belloumi, I Watch's president, said its bank transfers have been hindered and official investigations into the group are piling up. Hotels have stopped renting spaces for the group's events, citing vague instructions from authorities, Belloumi said. Last year, the electoral commission refused for the first time to allow I Watch to monitor elections due to suspicions of foreign funding. 'We're seen as enemies now,' Belloumi told Reuters. 'Many volunteers are afraid. Whistle-blowers have gone quiet. The pressure is everywhere — legal, financial, even personal.' Ben Amor said he had received anonymous threats and started looking over his shoulder in public spaces. 'People start saying, 'This man must be gotten rid of',' he said, referring to comments sent in private messages, or ''your son studies at that school, your daughter studies at that school ... I saw you on that street'.' Foreign governments that once championed Tunisia's democratic transition now prioritize curbing migration and short-term stability, rights groups say. Ben Amor said he believed he had been targeted particularly after speaking out against Saied's recent anti-migrant rhetoric. In 2023, the same year Tunisia signed a pact with the European Union aimed at stemming migration across the Mediterranean, Saied said illegal immigration was part of a 'conspiracy' to alter Tunisia's demographics. Since then, authorities have dismantled tents and carried out forced deportations — the campaign amid which Riahi was detained. Though the space for civil society groups is shrinking by the day, Belloumi said he remains committed. 'We chose this path — transparency, justice, accountability,' he said. 'And we're not walking away.'
France 24
21 hours ago
- Politics
- France 24
DRC and M23 rebels sign ceasefire deal
Also, in Tunisia in may 2024, just two months after giving birth for the second time... the Tunisian activist Cherifa Ria-hi was detained for harbouring illegal immigrants. More than a year later, she remains behind bars without charge. She has now become a symbol of what rights groups say is increasing repression of civil society by President Kais Saied... who has been ruling with unchecked power since disolving pariliament four years ago. Laurent Berstecker has more details. Finally, in Senegal Tangy and rich in vitamin C, Madd is much more than just a wild fruit in southern Senegal. Eaten fresh or processed, it's a crucial source of income for thousands of families who live off its harvest in the region of Casamance. Thanks to a 2024 Protected Geographical Indication Madd is becoming more widely available. Backed by the World Intellectual Property Organization, the UN's Food and Agricultural Organisation and The French Development Agency, this classification brings new hope to an entire community. In the village of Thiobon - a village over 450 kilometers south of Dakar - are those sustaining this sector.
Bloomberg
a day ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Activists Speed Into Usually Slow Summer Season
Hi, it's Crystal Tse in New York, with a roundup of news from the activist arena. Elsewhere, crypto companies are rushing to market and a JPMorgan veteran is calling it a day. Today's top stories
Al Jazeera
a day ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Kenyan activist Mwangi charged over deadly antigovernment protests
Kenyan activist Mwangi charged over deadly antigovernment protests NewsFeed Prominent Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi has been charged over his alleged role in the deadly antigovernment protests in June. Video Duration 02 minutes 24 seconds 02:24 Video Duration 00 minutes 58 seconds 00:58 Video Duration 01 minutes 01 seconds 01:01 Video Duration 00 minutes 36 seconds 00:36 Video Duration 01 minutes 06 seconds 01:06 Video Duration 00 minutes 46 seconds 00:46 Video Duration 01 minutes 18 seconds 01:18
